


A Way to Make It Out Alive

by peachykeenjellybean



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Banter, Bisexual Rey (Star Wars), College, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Loss of Virginity, Poe Dameron/Finn Fluff, Recreational Drug Use, Sex Addiction, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Smut, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:49:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachykeenjellybean/pseuds/peachykeenjellybean
Summary: Rey and Ben met in college and lost their virginities to each other then never speak again. 10 years later and they see each other again at a meeting for sex addicts and decide to help each other out by becoming best friends but there's so much sexual tension between them they choose not to act on it. What happens when it becomes too much?This is based off of the movie Sleeping with Other People with Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. I don't own any of the rights or anything to the movie I'm just jumping off the general plot idea. No, you don't need to have seen the movie but I highly recommend it just because it's great. I will use some dialogue from the movie because the main characters banter is too good and Reylo needs it.(continuing my streak of titles after one direction songs- this is a lyric to "History")
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii friends! Welcome to my first ever fic! This should be fun! I have it mapped out so we'll see how long it'll be. I'll try to update as much as I can. The dialogue in the movie is so great so I'm slightly using some of it. This first chapter uses a good amount of the dialogue from the movie and/or the general idea of the dialogue. If you haven't seen the movie, Sleeping with Other People, I highly recommend you check it out it's a great, really funny movie (it's on netflix!) and it's what this fic is based off of because like why not make it reylo, right? 
> 
> Let me know if you like this! Leave a comment or check me out on twitter @darthpeachy :)
> 
> Let's have fun and get a little smutty!

Ben nearly jumped out of bed when he heard the incessant banging going on next door. He wasn’t sleeping. There was too much going on outside of his door that he wasn’t a part of. He was just laying in bed listening to it all. He may have shoved his hand down his pants once to pass the time while his roommate was gone. The evidence still open on a tab on his computer.

He got up when he heard a girls voice screaming like she was standing right next to him. These walls were even thinner than paper. The door wasn’t any thicker. He’d heard his neighbor fucking someone the other night and he felt like he was the third from how well he could hear _everything_ going on in that room. Fucking college dorm rooms.

The clock next to his bed read 12:44 in neon green numbers that hurt his eyes if he looked at them too long. Damn, he was being lame. It’s not even 1am on a Saturday and he’s already in bed. And, he thinks he’s dozed off a little judging by the drool that’s stuck to his hand he had under his head and had started to crust over in white flakes. He brushes it off as he walks towards his door and opens it.

Everyone was gathered in the hallway next to his door now. Thanks to his height he can see over their shoulders and he sees a girl with a trash can over her head about to haul it at the door. She actually throws it and it falls to the ground next to her Doc Martens. That’s when she starts kicking the door. Ben follows those Docs up the longest legs he’s ever see under a pair of the opaquest black tights that lead to a tiny plaid skirt that moves when she kicks and bangs on the door. If she moved a little more or bent down, everyone in the hallway would see her ass or the part of her thigh just below.

No one asked her if she was okay. No one told her to stop. Everyone just watched in awe wondering if she would break her toe or how drunk she was. Her hair was gathered around her face and sticking to her mouth as she yelled, “Open the door, Hux! You said you were going to fuck me tonight!”

That made Ben laugh. Hux, his annoying next door neighbor was going to fuck _her?_ She’s too beautiful for him. Too beautiful for anyone, really, Ben thought.

“Who are you?” The RA came running through the hallway with a whistle in his mouth making small sounds from his breath as he ran.

“Who are you? And who signed you in?” he repeated right in front of the girl this time. Staring at her with his clipboard in his hand. Ready to write someone up like he always was.

He waited for her to answer but she didn’t. She had her back to Ben so he couldn’t see her face but he could tell from behind that her arms were crossed and she was in a defensive stance. He could assume her face was resting in a cold stare with her eyes narrowed.

He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Who was she?

“Did anyone sign her in?” The RA asked now looking at everyone standing in a group around him, watching the whole situation.

The words fell out of Ben’s mouth before he even knew what he said, “Yeah, Snap, I did. I signed her in.”

He stepped forward and she turned to look at him. He was right, her face was set with eyes like small knives stabbing him but he didn’t mind. She was the most intimidating person he’s ever seen.

“Ben, you forgot to sign her in on the sheet,” Snap said with a sigh of relief. He rolled his eyes and handed Ben the clipboard. The paper was all crumpled and filled with joke names like Hugh Anus and Holden MaGroin. Ben laughed to himself, the girl was peering over his should a bit trying to look at what he was writing.

“This is my friend uh,” He hesitated. He couldn’t think of a random name. All the names in the world and he couldn’t think of a single one. Then the first name that came to his head came out of his mouth like vomit, “Kira.” Really, Ben? You couldn’t think of any names except for the name of the warrior princess in Galaxy Wars?

“I’m Kira,” She spoke loudly. Loud enough that it went through Ben’s ears again. It was assertive for no reason.

Snap didn’t care, he just wanted to get the noise down in the hall so he could go back to whatever it was he did on duty. “I really don’t care what your name is or who you are.” Then he looked at Ben, “Just get her out of the hallway.” And he left. Everyone else in the hallway lingered for a second to see what the girl would do next. Maybe she’d break the door down or bust open the water fountain. Ben gave them a look and they left. Shooed themselves away back to their parties he wasn’t invited to.

He led her back to his room and she slumped down onto his bed.

“Nice underwear,” He said. He couldn’t really see it. She lifted her head up to look down and then frowned at him.

“Nice porn,” she said pointing to his computer on his desk that just happened to come alive when he moved next to his desk. She had an accent that he didn't notice before. English. Proper. It was hot.

He let out a small huff and looked at the floor. Slightly embarrassed but he could still feel her eyes on him. Looking for something. Waiting for something. He didn’t say anything or do anything. He was waiting for her.

“I’m Rey, by the way,” she said after a few moments. He looked up. She was sitting with her elbows bent. He hadn’t had a girl in his bed yet. “It’s not short for anything so don’t get any ideas. Just Rey.” She was adamant.

“Like the scavenger girl in those old space movies? The ones where the dude in the mask is basically running around the whole time yelling, REY REY REY at the top of his lungs?”

“You know if I had a dollar for the amount of times I heard that I wouldn’t have to be in school right now. Say it again, and I’m going to steal all the drugs you have in here and leave you tied up on the bed.” She was the most intimidating person he’d ever met.

He put his hands up in defense. “I’m Ben. After an old guy I never met. Speaking of drugs, do you wanna do some?” She nodded and he went to his desk drawer where he pulled out a bag of weed and rolling papers. He started rolling and she started talking.

“You know what I was doing here tonight, Ben?”

“Trying to wake everyone up?” He liked hearing her name come from her mouth. It was soft.

“I was going to lose my virginity.” She spoke fast.

“But you were banging on Hux’s door.” He was confused. Hux was the most unbearable person he’s ever met. The man was as interesting as a piece of sliced bread. He couldn't wrap his head around it.

“He’s the TA in my creative writing class. I have him tutor me but I actually already know everything he’s teaching me. I’m just in love with him.”

Ben actually laughed out loud at that. She couldn’t be serious. He looked at her quick and saw her eyes wide with a sense of embarrassment. He didn’t say anything and looked back down at the rolling papers in between his fingers.

“Are you making fun of me?” She asked. But it was less of a question and more of an aggressive statement. She was now sitting up fully on the bed, her long legs dangling over the edge and resting on his floor that he probably hadn’t vacuumed in weeks and was regretting it now.

That made him laugh more. A loud almost cackle came out of his mouth and he threw his head back, leaning on his desk chair. He kept rolling. Not wanting to look at her and her eyes. Or those legs.

“No, I’m not making fun of you,” he spoke when the laughing stopped, “I just don’t understand how you, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen is banging on Hux’s door to get him to fuck her. I bet you could have any guy and you’re after _him_. I just don’t get it. If you fucked him, it would let the rest of us incredibly average guys think we can totally hook up with the hottest supermodels. You fucking Hux would be like if I met an alien from space and told him that he was going to listen to the Beatles and then played him Nickleback. It’s a cruel joke. It doesn’t make any sense. If you let Hux fuck you, you’re going to get addicted to mediocrity for the rest of your life. You and your legs in that skirt deserve way better than that.” He was out of breath.

She stared at him with her eyes turned up at the corners like a cat and her mouth was open like she stopped mid breath. She leaned in closer to him. His room was small. A single. Lucky him. There wasn’t much space to lean over into or much room.

He could smell the perfume he bets she sprayed all over herself before running over to throw herself at Hux. She reached down and grabbed the rolled joint out of his hand, stuck it in her mouth and said, “Follow me.”

She led him up to the rooftop where there was an older beat up couch with a few tables and chairs that people liked to use to party or to smoke not to get caught by the RAs. It was a lot less windy up here than Ben expected. He grabbed his sweatshirt on the way up expecting for the wind on the roof to blow him away and splat him on the city streets below or another roof top. Rey was cold. Her tights didn’t do much to keep her warm. She rubbed her hands over her arms and over her legs when they sat down on the couch with her hands covered with the arms of her sweater. A layer of dust or pollen lifted off the couch when they sat.

Rey still had the joint in the middle of her pink lips and Ben didn’t take his eyes off of her when he went to grab a lighter out of the pocket of his sweatshirt. The joint shook between her lips as she shivered only slightly.

He could see the reflection of the flame in her eyes trained on him as he lit it. She took a long drag. She looked so cool. Then immediately started coughing and passed it to Ben.

“Tell me about sex,” He choked on the inhale, “What’s it like?”

“You want me to tell you about sex?”

She nodded and muttered a soft mhmm grabbing the joint from him. He could feel her fingertips just brush his as he passed it.

He sighed and looked out at the skyline. Random rooms in buildings were lit up providing them with a little bit of light and he could see red lights on the streets for miles. Smoke was coming up off of roofs. He had a smile on his face and he shook his head, “You want me to tell you about sex?” He repeated and she nodded eagerly. Her head was resting on her arm over the back of the couch looking up at him innocently taking a drag. Not coughing this time.

“It’s like kissing with your entire body,” he said with his eyes half closed from the weed and a smile on his face. That made her throw her head back over the back of the couch and let out a laugh that he could tell came from deep in her throat. “It’s like shoplifting from a store you know you won’t get caught at. Just a hint of danger. So sensual.” He stuck the joint in his mouth and took a short drag while looking at her.

She was looking at him now. Eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and mouth wide open in an O. “Oh my god. You’re a virgin too!”

“Jesus, you don’t have to yell it. Just because I haven’t technically-“

“You’re a virgin too! I knew it,” she interrupted him. Moving closer to him on the couch with her legs tucked under her thighs and her knees touching him. He felt the contact and the spot on his leg that was just barely touching her felt hot. All of his nerves in that area were on end.

“You know this is really romantic,” she said. Her fingers were tracing circles on his knee lightly. He was nervous. His breath hitched the second he felt the pads of her fingers on his jeans. “It’s just us on this rooftop. The city below. All the noises. It’s kinda dangerous if you think about it. We’re out in the open. But not really.”

Her eyes were moving around his face. Mostly focusing on his lips. She was leaning on her hand as she looked at him. There was a full moon in the sky that night and it lit up her face from the angle she was sitting. She has freckles all over her face. Faded so that you can only really see them if you’re sitting as close to her as he is now.

She licked her lips and grabbed his face with her right hand and kissed him. It was a sloppy mess at first. She missed his mouth and ended up in the corner closer to his cheek but he moved her so she could feel his plushness on hers. He broke away for a second and she backed up defensively. Feeling offended.

“Sorry, I read that wrong.” She didn’t know what to do with her hands. She had backed away from him and was back to where she originally sat on the couch with her hands folded and fidgeting in her lap.

“No, you didn’t,” he said and looked at her, “I just-“ He felt bad. He was just in such shock that she was actually kissing him he ruined it. Her eyes were down looking at her hands and in one motion he leaned over, grabbed her face and kissed her again. He moved her so that her back was on the couch and he was hovering on top of her. The strings from his hoodie dangling over her collarbones.

She slid her tongue in his mouth and feels it moving around his. It’s sloppy. She’s trying this for the first time he thinks and it’s okay because he’s never tried it either. He likes it. He tries it too and they must look like two dogs slobbering all over each other on the rooftop.

He’s in between her legs and he stops for a second to look at her. “You’re so beautiful.” He sees a blush come across her cheeks thanks to the light from the moon. Or it could’ve been a reflection of one of the red lights down below but he decided to go with flushed cheeks.

“Shut up and fuck me, Ben.” She was eager but so was he. She put her hands on his chest and pulled his sweatshirt off throwing it over the back of the couch, landing in a little puddle on the roof.

Ben moved his hands up her skirt and over her tights, pulling them down carefully before she said, “Oh, just rip them I don’t care.” And pulling them down herself, creating a tear in the process. Then pulling down her underwear. Ben unbuttoned his jeans. Hesitating for a second that this was happening. He looked at Rey as he did it. Her short brown hair was thrown all over the cushiony arm of the couch.

When he was about to pull off his boxers, he stopped. “Fuck,” he yelled so loud that a pigeon on the roof flew away. He rubbed his hands over his face and one into his hair.

She sat up on her elbows, “What?

“I don’t have a condom.”

She didn’t say anything to him but giggled and reached down to her feet that were still clad in her beaten Docs and pulls a condom out in front of his eyes.

“You really were ready to fuck Hux tonight.”

“I was but now I’m ready for you to fuck me.”

~

It was awkward. So awkward. Ben came so quickly that he doesn’t think Rey had time to adjust. He tried rubbing her clit and she had to help him to show him how she likes it. He was patient and listened. He had tried to back away after in embarrassment but Rey didn’t let him. Instead, she grabbed him and let him lay there on top of her with his pants still off and his head resting against her chest.

"Now do you think you can hook up with supermodels?" She played with his hair. Her felt her fingers running through the waves and individual strands. 

"Oh, definitely. I'm going to call Bella Hadid later on to ask her to come over."

He dragged on hand across her side, along the swell of her breast and his hand stopped there. Holding her in his hand.

“Why didn’t you do that before?” she asked and he could feel the vibration of her voice under his cheek.

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to.”

“Ben, you had your dick inside of me- which was huge by the way- of course you can grab my boob. That’s a given. Remember that for next time.”

“Next time? You’re going to let me do that again?” He said sitting up to look at her.

“Maybe if you buy me a bagel. But only maybe.” She was grinning and it lit up in the early morning sun that was starting to rise behind Ben’s back. He could see her eyes now. The green flecks mixed in with the hazel were dark and bright at the same time. He could see her freckles better and he wanted to kiss all of them.

He stared at her until she snapped him out of the trance he was in with a smack on his bare ass. 

“Now, get off of me. I said bagel." 

They left her ripped tights on the roof. Maybe someone would find them and they’d know what happened here. Everyone knew what happened up here. Or maybe they’d blow off the roof and through the wind. Attacking someone random on the street by wrapping around their face.

Ben smiled as he watched Rey eat her bagel like she’d never seen food before as he walked her back to her dorm. He thought about the next time that would never come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We catch up to Rey and Ben 10 years later to see what they're doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it took forever for me to update this I'm sorry! Shoutout to my old roommate Jacque who asked to be put into this as a character who hooks up with Ben! This chapter pretty closely follows what happened in the movie at the beginning too when they meet 12 years later I changed the dialogue and other things. After this it'll probably be a little different but in the same idea of the movie :) follow me on twitter @darthjessa for updates on my writing, commissions, to talk all things reylo, or just to say hi!

~10 Years Later~

It’s raining and Ben is running down the street trying to put his right shoe on while chasing after her. He could feel his sock getting wet from touching the pavement. He forgot a hoodie and his hair was already getting soaked and sticking to his neck and face.

“Fuck,” Ben sighed. He was already out of breath from running one block. Why was he even chasing after her. He was only hooking up with her. He told her from the beginning they weren’t anything more. He doesn’t do that. He doesn’t do relationships. They’re too complicated.

He was really biting himself in the ass right now because this had somehow gotten complicated. She was the one who decided to catch feelings. She knew what they were. He made it very clear.

“Jacque!” He yelled from down the street for the thousandth time and she stopped and turned to look at him. She was still wearing her makeup from the night before. It was all smudged around her eyes making her look like a raccoon. Her long dark hair was knotted around her face but still stood pin straight. Her clothes from last night were wrinkled and he looked down at her heels and wondered how she had been able to outrun him in those in the rain. Maybe he should go to the gym.

She had run out this morning when she woke up to Ben texting another girl to get dinner that night. Ben didn’t really feel like going after her but thought it would be the nice thing to do. He liked hooking up with her. She was great in bed. But, if he was being honest, he had other girls he could call if he really wanted someone to hook up with and he was thinking about that now as he was wet in the middle of the street.

“Jacque, I’m sorry. We never said we were exclusive.”

Her eyes were wide, “I didn’t think we had to! I’ve been calling you my boyfriend for weeks! You’ve met my friends!” She threw her arms up as she was talking. She always talked too much with her hands and articulated and made a big deal out of everything. Ben hated it. But she was great in bed. That’s why he kept seeing her despite his no-feelings-no-dating rule.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he stepped closer to her, looking her in the eyes and trying to make his face look as sincere as possible so he wouldn’t have to stand in the rain anymore. The rain was starting to drip into his eyes, causing his vision to blur and making him blink more than usual. His hair was sticking to his face. It sounded like it should be a romantic moment in the rain but Ben was just miserable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that’s what you wanted. Let’s go back upstairs. Take our clothes off. Dry off. Lay in bed all day since it’s raining.” He grabbed her waist and held her close enough to him he could feel her soaking clothes through his against his chest. She nodded and looked down, putting her head onto his chest and they rocked there on the sidewalk for a few seconds.

He didn’t want to rush her or ruin the moment but he wanted to get back inside. “Let’s go,” he whispered into her hair and she lifted her head and nodded at him again but this time the look on her face and changed and her eyes and gone from sad to angry and she took both hands, put them on his chest, and shoved him into the street.

“Fuck you, Ben. Don’t call me again,” she said as she walked away with her middle finger in the air to him. He stumbled backwards into traffic and somehow avoided being hit by cars as he watched her walk away from him.

It’s funny because he honestly couldn’t care less that she had walked away. He was just excited that he could finally get out of this rain. With a smile of relief on his face, he started walking to the sidewalk with the confidence of any male of privilege. So much confidence he didn’t notice the car coming on his right side that clipped him until he was laying with his cheek on the sidewalk.

~~~~

Rey was sick of listening to Kaydel talk. She hadn’t stopped since they got to the restaurant over an hour ago. Her wine glass had been refilled at least three times at this point by the waiter. Every time he walks by she holds her glass up in his direction.

Kaydel is tell Rey about the newest article she’s writing for the cooking magazine she works for. Something about ten different ways to make açai bowls at home. She’s thinking about trying them out. Making Rey taste all of them. Rey’s told her before how much she hates açai bowls. They’re cold and sometimes too runny for her liking. She thinks she mine as well have ice cream instead if she’s going to eat something of that consistency. It’s sweeter. Has more calories. Feels more like a guilty pleasure treat than a bowl of fruit. She nods her head when she thinks she should to let Kaydel know she’s listening. Or slightly listening. Not really listening at all if Rey’s being honest.

Her leg is shaking under the table. She’s anxious because she needs to talk to Kaydel about something. She figured a public space would be the best place to talk to her. To tell her what she needs to. A neutral environment that they could both leave without hard feelings but she’s regretting that now. This should be a private conversation. They should do this at home. Or maybe in a cab. Not here. But it’s too late. Rey needs to say it now.

Rey gulps down the rest of her wine and Kaydel reaches for her wine glass and Rey takes it as the opportunity to talk. Holding her little pocket notebook tight in her hands, she closes her eyes and takes a quick breath. Knowing Kaydel won’t like what she’s about to say.

“Kay, I need to talk to you about something,” she uses her nickname hoping that’ll soften things. Kaydel’s already swallowed her wine and is starting to say something again about smoothies when Rey speaks. She stops midsentence and looks down at the notebook in Rey’s hands that’s on top of the table hovering above Rey’s plate.

“Are you writing again? Babe, that’s awesome. I thought you hadn’t written since college?”

“No, I’m not writing again. I only did it that once. But anyway that’s not what I need to talk to you about.”

“I really think you should start writing again I mean what are you doing teaching. There’s no money there.” Kaydel wasn’t listening, as usual.

“Can I please just tell you what I need to tell you?” Rey said it with her eyes closed for the first half. She was already mad. She just needed to get it out then she would feel better.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay,” Rey was about to start.

“You look amazing in that dress by the way.”

“Kay, please, don’t interrupt me.”

“I don’t-“

“Yes, you-“

“No, I don’t-“

“You’re doing it right now.” Rey moved her eyes down to the table. The white cloth on it was so starched and clean. Not like her.

“I just think you look hot in that dress and I needed to tell you, okay?” Kaydel said as she raised her wine glass again. How many glasses was she on? It doesn’t matter.

“Kaydel!” No more nicknames. Rey needed her attention. She started reading from her notebook, “As you know, I have been seeing a therapist for a couple of months now to work on some issues that I’ve had for a long time. One of those is love addiction and an obsession with intimacy and so my therapist thinks I should see a program for it.” Rey took a beat and looked up from the notebook to Kaydel. There was no emotion on Kaydel’s face. She just glanced at Rey with her glass of wine in her mouth, urging Rey to move on.

Right as Rey was about to continue, Kaydel spoke, “Love addiction? That’s not real. You’re paying your therapist how much to tell you bull-“

“Can you please let me finish?”

“Yeah of course.”

“Because of my therapist, I have been able to stay faithful-“

“Your therapist is a con artist.”

“Just let me say what I need to say, please.”

“I’m just saying your therapist is telling you bullshit and it’s a waste-“

“I’ve cheated on you, Kay!” The words came out of Rey’s mouth before she even noticed that they did. She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to say it. She had to get it out there. The words lingered in the air above the table like dust floating in empty spaces. The whole restaurant went quite and Rey could hear someone drop their fork or knife onto the ground to break up the silence. For the first time that night, Kaydel is speechless for the first time since they got there. Her mouth is wide open. Her brows are drawn together. Her eyes are filled with something Rey has never seen before.

Rey has seen Kaydel get mad at little things like when Rey forgets to put the cap back on the toothpaste or when one of her interns fucks up at work. She’s seen Kaydel yell and get upset but she’s never seen this look before. Rey swears she’s about to see Kaydel’s face turn red and smoke to start coming out of her ears and trigger the fire alarm. Kaydel smacks her wine glass back down on the table and the bottom of it shatters causing broken glass to scatter all over the table under her hand and onto the floor. Kaydel doesn’t notice. Or rather she pretends not to notice it. It’s a small thing compared to what Rey just told her.

Kaydel surprises Rey when the words that come out of her mouth are soft and almost a whisper but filled with urgency. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Now that it’s out there Rey doesn’t know what to say. She stutters her words. She’s choking on them. They’re getting caught in her throat.

“Was it with my assistant? Was it, Rey?! I knew it. He was always checking out your perfect little ass.” Kaydel is yelling now and grabs Rey’s glass of wine out of her hands and downs it.

“Can you please keep your voice down. No. It wasn’t your assistant.”

“Then who was it?”

“That’s not important.”

“Who?” Kaydel was begging but she didn’t really want to know the answer. She grabbed her coat from the back of her seat and started heading for the door. Rey stopped her by holding her wrist when she walked by her.  
“Please, Kay, babe,” she was back to nicknames and terms of endearment, “I told you because I’m being honest with you. I want us to work through this. We can work through this.” Now it was Rey’s turn to beg. Her eyes must’ve looked like a puppy’s eyes begging up at Kaydel for a treat. Kaydel peeled Rey’s fingers off of her wrist slowly as to not draw anymore attention to them.

“You know what, Rey, you don’t have a ‘love addiction’ like your dumbass therapist says. You’re just a whore.” And with that Kaydel left leaving Rey alone at the table with the whole restaurant looking at her. She could feel the giant red A for adulterer starting to form on her forehead. So everyone in the world could know that Rey was cheating on her girlfriend.

She ran down the street, deciding to walk all the way home so that the cool air could stab her in all the right places so she couldn’t feel anything. But she couldn’t breath when she was a few blocks away from her apartment. Her throat started to get tight and she was gasping for air. Taking in deep but still shallow breaths. She grabbed a nearby parking meter to hold herself up. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out her phone and typed out a text to the one person who she knew would bring her that little bit of conventional comfort she needed right now. She hesitated before she sent it. But when she got a reply back asking where she was, the shaking went away, a blush rose to the tops of her cheeks, and she could breath again.

~~~~

The church basement smelled like mothballs and stale coffee. There was a breeze coming in from the front door that doesn’t really close right. The chair Ben is sitting in is too small for him and every time he moves or shifts his weight it squeaks or shrieks in ways that make every eye around him stare at him. Ben wants to leave. Why hasn’t he left already? It’s not like anyone was forcing him to be here. He didn’t have to have a paper signed or anyone to check in with. He came on his own. Thought maybe it would be good for him. He regrets that now when he listens to the guy in the front of the room drone on and on about how sex has ruined his life and relationships behind a podium that’s decorated with the Virgin Mary. The irony behind a meeting for sex addiction being held in a church basement with a man preaching behind a podium of the Virgin is irony that makes Ben laugh to himself.

He should just leave now. There’s no point in him being here. He doesn’t have sex addiction. He just likes to have a lot of sex. With a lot of different women. That’s normal. He’s normal. He just doesn’t want to leave in the middle of this dude talking. He’d feel bad. He wishes he didn’t grab a seat towards the front where everyone can see him if he left. That’s rude. Right? He’ll leave when they break for expired cookies that have probably been sitting in this basement for weeks and warm orange juice. Maybe a cup of that stale coffee he’s been smelling.

Then he hears someone’s phone beep. Here he is worried about getting up in the middle of this meeting and disturbing everyone and someone has the audacity to have the sound of their phone on. He looks back towards where the sound is coming from and sees a familiar head of brown hair moving outside to the front of the church. Without thinking, he gets up and follows after her.

“Now who were you trying to fuck in there?” He says when gets outside. She’s leaning on a fence with her head down looking at her phone. She jumps a little when he speaks but when she sees him, her eyes soften and a smile creeps up on her face.

“Ben,” she says putting a piece of hair behind her ear and emphasizing the last half of his name, “were you just in that meeting?”

“Oh yeah, I was almost falling asleep. That guy was just so boring.”

“Yeah, that’s totally why I left too. Wow, it’s been what, 10 years since the last time I saw you?”

“When we lost our virginities to each other then you disappeared off the face of the Earth? Yeah it’s been 10 years.”

“Sorry about that,” she said looking at the ground. She didn’t really have an explanation to ditching him all those years ago. She kinda just left. They had a good time. She was looking forward to the next time. He was so sweet. But it just never happened. The campus was so big she never ran into him again. “You look great by the way.” He was much more muscular now. Maybe taller too. His hair was long and covered his ears better than it did when they were in college. He was so cute then but he’s hot now.

“Thanks, so do you.” He said which checking her out. She did look good. She’d somehow gotten hotter. Her hair was longer than it was the last time he’d seen her and could see that her skin was glowing even under the fluorescent street lights that usually make anyone look like a ghost except for her. “How have you been? You still talk to that guy you really wanted to fuck that night?” He was teasing her. She liked it.

“Hux? Sometimes. When I need a book recommendation. He’s a writer now.”

“Oh, good for him. He still boring as all hell?” That made her laugh. It was a little laugh but he made it happen.

“No, he was never boring. Maybe to you,” she said.

“He was boring to everyone, except you, Rey. Well, I’ll let you get to that booty call.”

“How do you know it was a booty call? My mom could’ve just called me to say she fell and can’t get up.”

“I know because of the look on your face. You’re going to get dick.” He raised an eyebrow at her and she smiled at it with her eyes narrowed at him.

“What are you even doing here? Trying to pick up women?”

“Nope, just you.” He said with a smile that made the apples of his cheeks round and his eyes soft.  
“Very funny. I’ll see you around.” And she turned around and walked down the street waving her phone in the air saying goodbye to him. Her cheeks and her chest felt warm as she walked away. Just seeing Ben made her feel something she hasn’t felt since that first time 10 years ago. A feeling she’s been looking for ever since. A feeling she’s been trying to fill but nothing and no one helps.

“Hey,” she hears him yell from down the street, “I’m on Twitter! Or Instagram! Or Facebook if you’re a 45-year-old mom!” She turned her head around and laughed, yelling an Okay! back at him.

Maybe she would see him again this time.

He hopes he’ll see her again this time. He can’t let her be the one that got away. Not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR DOING KAYDEL SO BAD LIKE THAT I LOVE HER AND I FEEL TERRIBLE BUT IT HAD TO HAPPEN FOR THE PLOT. Next: Will Ben and Rey see each other again?

**Author's Note:**

> Up Next: We meet Ben and Rey 10 years later and see what they're up to.


End file.
